Episode 55: ADM for June 30, 2022: U.S. Supreme Court Restores Racially Gerrymandered Maps in Louisiana

American Democracy Minute

U.S. Supreme Court Restores Racially Gerrymandered Maps in Louisiana
Today's Links
Articles:
Washington Post - Supreme Court frees Louisiana to use congressional map drawn by GOP
Vox - The Supreme Court just handed down very bad news for Black voters
NAACP Legal Defense Fund - U.S. Supreme Court Reinstates Louisiana’s Discriminatory Congressional Map
NPR - Supreme Court blocks creation of 2nd majority-Black congressional district in Alabama
Groups taking Action:
NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Power Coalition for Equity & Justice, ACLU of Louisiana, Alabama Voting Rights Coalition
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Lost among Tuesday’s testimony by Cassidy Hutchinson to the January 6th Committee was a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court restoring racially gerrymandered Congressional districts in Louisiana.

A conservative Fifth Circuit Federal Court of Appeals sided with Governor John Bel Edwards, who argued that since Black citizens make up one-third of Louisiana’s population, Congressional districts should be drawn to include two majority-minority districts. But the U.S. Supreme Court now says the legislature’s maps should be used, pending another case this fall. Now, instead of two districts out of six, Black voters have only one, with the districts manipulated by the legislature to dilute Black, more liberal, voting power.

In 2013, the court eroded much of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Then in 2019, the court said that redistricting was inherently political and the states should have the ultimate authority.

Enter Alabama. In a case similar to Louisiana’s, Black voters were gerrymandered out of their second Congressional district. Lower courts ruled fair maps must be drawn, but the high court issued a stay in February, pending a full hearing of the case in October. But even if the gerrymandered maps were thrown out– not likely with the current rogue court – it would come too late for African-American voters in Alabama and Louisiana to have real say in their government.

Links to more information on the decision and groups taking action are at our website, AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

Granny D said, “Democracy is not something we have, it’s something we DO.” For the American Democracy Minute, I’m Brian Beihl.